The term “interior lining” includes all parts which can form the surfaces in the interior of a vehicle or aircraft. In the example of a motor vehicle, “interior linings” may include linings of the door, the dashboard, the pillars, the roof and the operator controls as well as arm-rests or the like, for example.
“Vehicles and aircraft” is understood to mean all means of transportation over water, on land, and in the air.
It is known from the prior art in the field of vehicles and aircraft to control the temperature of the interior by means of ventilating heaters and air-conditioning systems, wherein the waste heat of the internal combustion engine is usually utilised to heat the outside air. It is also known to heat individual objects with which the operator comes into direct contact. In modern vehicles, the seats and the steering wheel are for example optionally provided with heaters so as to warm the operator's bottom and upper leg areas as well as his hands.
A drawback of previous methods for heating vehicle interiors is that, in particular at low temperatures in winter, a considerable length of time passes before the engine releases sufficient heat to heat the vehicle interior by means of ventilation. In particular in the case of diesel vehicles, a very long period of time generally elapses before the air can be heated, and therefore additional electrical heating devices are already provided in the ventilation duct for this purpose. In vehicles not driven by means of an internal combustion engine, for example electric cars, it is not possible overall to use waste heat of the motor to heat the interior, since the electric motor does not generate sufficient heat.
The heaters installed previously in the region of the seats or steering wheel are merely suitable for heating specific body parts in contact therewith, but are unsuitable for heating the vehicle interior.
To pre-heat vehicles, auxiliary heaters are also used, in which heat is generated by means of combustion of fuel at a predeterminable time and is then also transported into the vehicle interior via the ventilation. A drawback of auxiliary heaters of this type is that, when fuel is combusted, malodorous waste gases which are harmful to health are produced. In particular, if auxiliary heaters are used in closed spaces, such as garages or underground car parks, the ambient air becomes highly contaminated within just a short space of time.